Nidhi Singh Rathore

BIO

Nidhi Singh Rathore is a South Asian designer, researcher, and educator who explores the application of design methodologies to civic engagement and social innovation. With a value-centered approach, her work deconstructs nebulous concepts, brings people together, and breaks down intricate challenges to create better and more equitable interventions. Her unique blend of creative expertise, analytical rigor, and social consciousness positions her as a leading voice in the realm of civic design and social impact. Rathore also writes, publishes, and forwards the discussion on design's relationship with power hoarding to critique design practice through a lens of race, gender, and privilege. This understanding comes from her lived experience as a public servant, where she developed an understanding of the ways marginalization and inequity stand in the way of civic participation and the role design can play in activating democracy.

Rathore recently led civic design for Montgomery County Government (MD) and formerly worked for the Los Angeles Innovation Team. She has collaborated with the Stanford Impact Labs, exploring design's role in addressing societal challenges like housing insecurity, and Cedars Sinai Cancer Research Center for Health Equity––by way of Designmatters at ArtCenter College of Design––to reimagine cancer clinical screening and outreach programming.

EDUCATION

Postgraduate Certificate, Aesthetics, Criticism, & Theory, Jnanpravha
Masters of Fine Arts, Media Design Practices, ArtCenter College of Design
Graduate Diploma Programme in Design, Visual Communication, National Institute of Design